Deborah Wurrkidj

Biography

Deborah Wurrkidj is a highly regarded, versatile artist who has readily adapted to new art forms while retaining her strong clan traditions. She has been working with Bábbarra Designs since 1991, alongside her mother, Helen Lanyinwanga, and sister Jennifer Wurrkidj. She is a leading textile artist and an integral member of Bábbarra Women’s Centre.

Deborah’s work is vibrant, tactile and intricate, evocative of the local natural environment as well as referencing her deep cultural knowledge. Her extensive body of textile art is illustrative of the artistic innovation that has occurred in Maningrida in recent times and that is apparent in her work in other mediums also.

Deborah is world renowned for her bark painting, lorrkkon (hollow logs), and fibre baskets. She has exhibited widely since 2001, throughout Australia as well as in Europe and the United States. She is represented in most of Australia’s state gallery collections.

Alternative name spellings

Debra

Languages

Kuninjku

Ancestor spirits

Dadbe (King brown snake), Djimarr (Black crow), Buluwana (woman spirit)

Outstation

Mumeka

Moiety

Duwa

Subsection

Kamanj

Date of birth

1971

Fabrics for sale

Kip&Co × Bábbarra

Artist's designs

Past Exhibitions